The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

by Wayne McDonald

As a reader of the many essays here at World Mysteries.com, I have noticed that many of them deal with, at least in part, what are popularly known as conspiracy theories. The issue to be addressed in this essay will be why such theories seem to enjoy such popularity.

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In its basic form a conspiracy theory involves the belief that some events or series of events are the result of a systematic, intentional, and usually covert attempt by the architects of the conspiracy to prevent certain facts from becoming public knowledge. The supposed end result of such conspiracies is practically always to promote the concentration of wealth or power in the hands of these conspirators or their “masters.”

Obviously, all conspiracy theories require that there be a “villain,” a group of “them,” who is responsible for a conspiracy which is invariably targeted at “us.” Beyond this requirement, “generic” conspiracy theories are usually “tailored” to specific conditions.

For our purposes, we can consider conspiracy theories to fall into one of three general categories: obstructive, oppressive, and deceptive.

An obstructive conspiracy theory proposes the existence of a conspiracy whose purpose is to prevent, or at least impede, some event from occurring. An example would be a supposed conspiracy involving “big oil” and the automotive industry to prevent the introduction of an automobile engine that could run on water.

Oppressive conspiracies are unique in that they purport to explain perceived social inequalities or perceived political disenfranchisement. This class of theories is based on the previously mentioned “them” engaged in an active conspiracy against “us.” There are many conspiracy theories of this class circulating in contemporary society. Some of the more widely-held oppressive conspiracy theories maintain that:

• The CIA and the Air Force concealed the fact that a “UFO” crashed near Roswell, NM and that several dead “aliens,” as well as valuable advanced technologies, were recovered from the crash site (and that some of these technologies have been used by the government against its citizens).

• The virus responsible for AIDS was created in a government laboratory and then deliberately released into the black and gay communities in order to rid society of “undesirables.”

• The CIA deliberately allowed, and in some cases was actively involved in, the importation of narcotics to be sold within inner-city neighborhoods.

Oppressive conspiracy theories are frequently used to both obtain and retain political or some other form of power. The well-documented invocation of numerous alleged conspiracies, as well as the recent anti-Semitic ranting, of former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney of Georgia’s 4th congressional district are examples of this tactic.1

A close relative of the oppressive theory is the deceptive conspiracy theory. Deceptive conspiracies are dedicated to presenting the illusion that the root cause of some social, economic, or political problem is something other than actual cause. The most notorious use of this tactic came in the early 1930s in Germany.

Germany was in social and economic chaos as a result of the repressive conditions set forth in the Treaty of Versailles which had essentially stripped Germany of its economic infrastructure. When the worldwide effects of the Great Depression were factored in, the desperate German people were willing to literally try anything. Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party, playing on the already widespread anti-Semitism of the era, blamed all of Germany’s problems on the Jews. It is not necessary to relate the tragic results of this particular conspiracy theory.

We may now turn our attention to the prevalence of contemporary belief in conspiracy theories as well as psycho-social factors that may contribute to such beliefs.

In 1992 sociologist Ted Goertzel2 surveyed 348 residents of southwestern New Jersey concerning their acceptance or rejection of 10 popular conspiracy theories, including the three mentioned above.3 The results of that survey regarding the three above-mentioned theories are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1

Alleged Conspiracy

Definitely True

Probably True

Don’t Know

Probably False

Definitely False

UFO

12%

29%

11%

25%

23%

AIDS

4%

8%

10%

26%

53%

Drugs/Inner city

7%

14%

9%

29%

41%

More recently, a national survey of 1,010 adults was conducted by Ohio University to determine the acceptance of various conspiracy theories related to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This survey indicated that 36% of those surveyed believed it to be “‘very likely’ or ‘somewhat likely’ that federal officials either participated in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon or took no action to stop them.”4

Given the number of respondents who admit believing that the four above-mentioned conspiracy theories may be true, we may now examine the possible reasons behind why such a significant portion of the population hold such beliefs.

Goertzel identified three traits as being correlated with a belief in conspiracy theories:

anomia, the respondent stated a belief that he/she felt alienated or disaffection relative to “the system;”

a tendency to distrust other people; and

a feeling of insecurity regarding continued employment.

Citing Volkan5, who suggested that insecure and/or discontented people very often feel a need for a tangible enemy on which to externalize their anger, Goertzel notes that conspiracy theories may serve to provide an “enemy” to blame for problems which “otherwise seem too abstract and impersonal.” He further observes that conspiracy theories also provide ready answers for the believer’s unanswered questions and help to resolve contradictions between known ‘facts’ and an individual’s belief system. The latter observation seems to be verified by the widespread acceptance within the Muslim world of the contention that the September 11 attacks were the work of Israel, in conjunction with the Bush Administration, in order to increase anti-Muslim sentiments abroad.6

Surprisingly, Goertzel found that there was no correlation between race, age, and economic status and the latter two traits. Although he did not suggest that the two latter traits mentioned above may be self-perpetuating (people who have experienced employment difficulties in the past may be more distrusting of others which, in turn, may lead to future interpersonal issues that can have a negative impact on employment), intuitive reasoning suggests that this could be possible.

In summary, I accept the published findings and opinions of Goertzel et al as being at least subjectively valid. Successful conspiracy theories are those that to some degree empower the believer against what are perceived as external forces that he/she blames for some unpleasant or undesirable facet of their lives. In addition conspiracy theories serve to absolve the individual of some degree of self-accountability since, if the individual is being “oppressed” by some powerful conspiracy, the individual’s efforts at self-advancement will always be futile and thus become nothing more than “a waste of time.” Sadly, it seems that conspiracy theories and their advocates are now deeply engrained in the popular psyche and without prospects for their ultimate refutation.

And, no, I’m not part of some conspiracy against conspiracy theories.

Notes

Anti-Defamation League (2006): ADL Condemns Racist, Anti-Semitic Tirades at Rep. Cynthia McKinney’s Concession Speech. Press Release, Anti-Defamation League of the United States.” Available at http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/4869_12.htm , accessed June 12, 2007.

PS1: The New World Disorder, why I don’t worry about World Government

This is kind of a generalist conspiracy theory post. There’s conspiracy theories about an incipient USA police state, North American Union government, world government, or some combination of the three. And as I’ve said before, no one has a crystal ball, and human history has gone down all sorts of unexpected and unlikely paths before … so pretty much anything is possible. That being said, here are some of the general reasons why I don’t lose any sleep over any of these albeit alarming possibilities.

The above image of a swastika shaped building is from Google Earth and I’m claiming it as Fair Use under US copyright law. It’s not being used for profit and its use here in no conceivable way interferes with the copyright holder’s commercial use of the image. It’s the barracks for the navy Seals and as far as anyone can tell its shape was purely accidental. IE it’s a great shape to maximize window exposure and have some courtyards to boot, window exposure is important as it was built in the pre-air conditioner era in Coronado California. The Navy has taken so much criticism that they are going to spend over $600,000 to change the shape of the building so it no longer looks like a swastika from space. Yeah, that’s a good use of taxpayer’s money.

The first is the simple observation that global power and wealth is more concentrated than at any time in history, a tiny handful of families and corporations control the lion’s share of the world’s assetsd. Many of these families have been accumulating this wealth and power for centuries. When you are already King of the Hill, there’s no where else to go. IE the powers that be don’t need a police state to control us, they already control us through advertising and the “media.” This alone is the primary reason I don’t lose any sleep over incipient police states or such. It’s too late.

Secondly, there’s the problem of the essential practicality of such an undertaking. No matter how much technology the police state has at its disposal, sooner or that that information has to be filtered through human brains. IE there is a limit to what can be accomplished by trying to micromanage people’s lives from the centre somewhere. This is borne out by twentieth century experiments in same. The big three experiments along totalitarian lines, Nazi Germany, Mao’s China, and the USSR … all ended badly. That doesn’t mean someone won’t try, but even if they do, I think it’s doomed to failure. There is some limit to the size of a police state, and I don’t think it’s very high.

Thirdly, usually when someone wants to control the very lives of their subjects, it’s because there is ideology or personality involved. And by personality, I mean some central character with malignant narcissism like Hitler. Well, the powers that be in the west are diffuse enough that it seems unlikely that some single individual will be able to assume world wide (or even US wide) dictatorial powers. (The idea that Obama is going to be some sort of dictator doesn’t pass the laugh test.) And if there’s any real ideology to capitalism, I haven’t seen it. Greed, ambition, and lack of scruples isn’t an ideology. It’s a pathology, but I digress.

Lastly, I ‘ve been around for awhile. And I’ve been seeing the same recycled imminent police state theories since the mid seventies. Hell, they’ve been a literary genre since the end of World War Two. That alone should give people pause. It’s already 25 years after 1984, and there’s no world wide police state yet. It makes me think that a good argument can be made that this belief is part and parcel of the modern human experience, more myth than real possibility. The endless choices that face people in the modern world are bewildering, it’s not surprising that it’s easy to believe that some evil entity could control it all. Or some good entity, there is a striking morphological similarity between NWO conspiracy theories and belief in the second coming.

Which oddly enough leads me to the one situation where there is the possibility of an ideologically driven police state or even global police state. And that would be some sort of Evangelical Christian police state. Certainly not a new idea, it too as a conspiracy meme has been around since at least The Handmaid’s Tale. How likely is that? Damned if I know. I think my final observation, and again one I have made before under similar contexts, is that I think that people who worry about the unpleasant possibilities of a new world order are missing the point. We already have a very unpleasant situation where the rich are ever getting richer, let’s deal with the devil we have instead of the devil we might have.

Moving right along, I’ll post on the Ft. Sills massacre sometime soon, as is usually the case with something like this, I want to wait awhile for the facts to settle out of the dust. It’s pretty sickening though, both the act itself … and what some people have said in response. In fact the later is even more sickening in some ways. Jesus wept.

PS2: HAARP

The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is an ionospheric research program jointly funded by the US Air Force, the US Navy, the University of Alaska and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

The HAARP project directs a 3.6 MW signal, in the 2.8–10 MHz region of the HF [High Frequency] band, into the ionosphere. The signal may be pulsed or continuous. Then, effects of the transmission and any recovery period can be examined using associated instrumentation, including VHF and UHF radars, HF receivers, and optical cameras. According to the HAARP team, this will advance the study of basic natural processes that occur in the ionosphere under the natural but much stronger influence of solar interaction, as well as how the natural ionosphere affects radio signals. [ Perhaps this research is related to Tesla’s Death Ray and/or Wireless Energy experiments?].

This will enable scientists to develop techniques to mitigate these effects in order to improve the reliability and/or performance of communication and navigation systems, which would have a wide range of applications in both the civilian and military sectors, such as an increased accuracy of GPS navigation, and advancements in underwater and underground research and applications. This may lead to improved methods for submarine communication and the ability to remotely sense the mineral content of the terrestrial subsurface, among other things. One application would be to map out the underground complexes of countries. The current facility lacks the range to reach these countries, but the research could be used to develop a mobile platform.

HAARP is the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, with individuals ascribing various hidden motives and capabilities to the project. Journalist Sharon Weinberger called HAARP “the Moby Dick of conspiracy theories” and said the popularity of conspiracy theories often overshadows the benefits HAARP may provide to the scientific community.

The alleged dangers of HAARP were dramatized in popular culture by Marvel Comics, author Tom Clancy, and The X-Files. A Russian military journal wrote that ionospheric testing would “trigger a cascade of electrons that could flip Earth’s magnetic poles.” The European Parliament and the Alaska state legislature held hearings about HAARP, the former citing “environmental concerns.” Author of the self-published Angels Don’t Play This HAARP, Nick Begich has told lecture audiences that HAARP could trigger earthquakes and turn the upper atmosphere into a giant lens so that “the sky would literally appear to burn.”

A 2009 episode of The History Channel series That’s Impossible speculated that ionospheric heating from HAARP could theoretically cause localised atmospheric upcurrents that disrupt or “bend” the jet stream and influence regional weather patterns, prompting conspiracy theorists to connect changed weather patterns in the Atlantic Ocean during the 1980s as well as subsequent El Nino events with HAARP.

Conspiracy theorists have linked HAARP to numerous earthquakes. An opinion piece on a Venezuelan state-run television channel’s website named HAARP as a cause of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Skeptic computer scientist David Naiditch called HAARP “a magnet for conspiracy theorists”, saying the project has been blamed for triggering catastrophes such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and devastating earthquakes in Pakistan and the Philippines aimed to shake up “terrorists.” Naiditch says HAARP has been blamed for diverse events including major power outages, the downing of TWA Flight 800, Gulf War syndrome, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Conspiracy theorists have also suggested links between HAARP and the work of Nikola Tesla (particularly potential combinations of HAARP energy with Tesla’s work on pneumatic small-scale earthquake generation) and physicist Bernard Eastlund. According to Naiditch, HAARP is an attractive target for conspiracy theorists because “its purpose seems deeply mysterious to the scientifically uninformed”.

Many feel, as do I, after reading and looking at research about the government, currently and for the past many years, has been beaming 1000 Gigawatts (so that in the atmosphere it ends up being 1 million watts), into the ionosphere, such that current weather patterns, the sudden occurrences of hundreds of thousands of animals, fish, “burnt” dolphins washing up onto shores, strange hurricanes etc, are all the result of HAARP.

Comments

Follow make sense people please immediate response stop them at all costs shut them down hold them to account the world is at war all repeat all international agencies are to be on high alert read the articles and to the new world order zionist we know who they are going to be very sorry for what they have planed to this planet big mistake iam not sure if humanity can save themselves it has taken to long and how did the illuminati get so controled over the masses the havoc is immense far beyond the tears of heaven and the pain of hell.

The phychology goes as follows.W-M first is gratitude,Now the world is blessed with the truth and as for the new world order zionist it is a shame that they could not accept the alternative they where given chances to stop their schemes and co-operate they didn’t they choose war.The planet revolts against possesion make sense and our homeland.A international declaration is made just read the other articles for more confirmation the final scene is the new age dawning.

Wow whoever made this is a Fucking get total idiot sheeple. Your exact definition of sheep. Fucking bloody retard. It’s faggots like you with your Fucking head up your pathetic assume that’s destroying this world. Consent by silence. And your pathetic silence of not losing get sleep over it gives them the control. Fucking retards Fucking die you piece of scum shit. I hope your Fucking kid goes crazy and murders you and your pathetic family and kills himself. I’d get a lot of satisfaction from seeing your head cut off on the front page of the sheeple newspaper. Fagoot sheep

I clicked on this article expecting to be challenged in thought. Yes, I believe in some of what is labelled as “conspiracy theories” however I am attracted to it because it is starting to make LOGICAL SENSE. That’s one thing you left out on this vague article. You are focusing on individual human psychology and emotion rather than looking into these conspiracies themselves. This cannot be attractive only to social deviants for I know a lot, including myself, of happy citizens doing their part, going through the motions, with the awareness that something is twisted. These theories of the “end of the world” seem to pop up every so often, resulting in seemingly nothing (Y2K, 1984, etc). This is due to the brilliance of masking. Nothing changed, not in OUR EYES because it is so gradual, it is imposed upon us unconsciously and unwillingly by the media and most importantly, by EDUCATION. Having a mind constantly opening to new ideas, I am in search for a psychological explanation of the phenomenon on conspiracy theories. To this day I have not found one that is credible. However I have come across an idea saying that the real conspiracy is that there is no conspiracy, that the scariest thing to know is that in fact, no one is in control of the world and we are all plunging through life thinking we have one, but without a clue. As I research further, I’m starting to see this said statement being increasingly refuted by HARD FACTS.

I also wish to retort to the above author. I am not a conspiracy theorist. In fact, I have never placed any credence whatsoever in theories I could not confirm. I confirmed the following:

HAARP has been in operation for 30 years. It generates massive voltages and beams it into space (these are not conjecture, YOU can go and see this data from numerous scientific sites and read about it for yourself). It is designed specifically for weather control, and for generating controlled magnetic anomolies, for military purposes. HAARP is owned by the Navy and the Air Force. They are maximum security facilities. This does not sound like science to me. It sounds like the government I am familiar with, one which has lied to me so many times over the past ten years that I have learned to question what I need to question. I suggest you do the same. Listen to the interviews, watch the footage, read the science. Wikipedia is a blog. It is anonymous, perhaps the least reliable source of data.. Here is a known University professor:

HAARP was designed for war, for climate change and to create earthquakes. That is not even under dispute. It is well documented, over many years by scientists both inside and outside the HAARP program, the creator of HAARP has been all over the news lately confirming the government is using the array as a weather control device and has for many years, so to say it’s a conspiracy theory ignores simple, verifiable facts.

CORRECTION: the above article should indicate that when HAARP is operating at peak (a single multi-phasic array), the power generated and beamed into the ionosphere is a BILLION watts, not a million. it’s 1K Gw.

Also, I believe that the fire in the sky refers to the solar flares predicted to reach the planet next year. I also believe that the synthetic virus BP pumped into the gulf, a silicone based bacteria named “Synthia” is the basis for the Silicone virus now eating the flesh of many people throughout the Gulf Region called Morgellons Disease. It is the first silicone based virus ever found, it has no cure, and it feeds on carbon. You figure it out.

Methods of Leveraging the Human Mind for Political or Academic Power and Control

Primary source: The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy.

Informal fallacy is an error of reasoning or a method of hoodwinking an unknowing audience or group. It is often a method of verbal acrobatics to persuade audiences that through reasoning and argument an issue can be correct, when upon evaluation it is not correct but a lie. This is a means of hyping an issue and spinning it as a truth. Still, it is a lie.

Genetic fallacy is a means of persuading individuals upon the goodness or badness of an issue by using something unrelated but similar by showing the goodness or badness of the issue. A genetic fallacy is often used with a personal attack and serves to reinforce a lie. It will be used to condemn a prior thesis by condemning the base source as the point where an issue goes wrong. The base source may not have any relationship to the end product.

Argumentum ad populum or argument to the crowd or people is a prime example of the statement that everybody is doing it. It is also a statement that is the appeal to the gallery for support of its contention. Some say this is not unlike the mob appeal. What goes wrong with this argument is when exaggeration of the crowd is hyped beyond its real scope. Mass enthusiasm via cheerleading can be a lie when evidence shows the impetus was created by coercion rather than genuine appeal. Many call this the bandwagon effect.

Argumentum ad misericordiam is a methodology used with heaps of pity and emotional blackmail for an apparent wrong done to persons when in essence the facts do not support a need for such high levels of compassion. Using emotionalism to pressure an audience for a weak case is often called false witness for high benefit. Many times it is in reality a threat of becoming miserable or worse to force an issue. Some will even threaten suicide or in a laughing manner say something is to die for. It is an effort to position others as mean and wrong for creating miserable conditions for the one who is threatening. Others may use this method to point up the plight of a constituency to leverage for a change in political behavior…such as asking for tolerance when it already exists.

Fallacy of construction or composition of issues is a means of arguing from the make up of parts that have no relationship to the whole. But, by virtue of known parts the whole should follow.

Fallacy of division is the opposite of the above. It is arguing from the whole and its image to portraying the whole as the part when the part has no overall relationship to the results of the whole.

The fallacy of false cause also called post hoc, ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore because of this). The wrong in this argument is the weight given the causal condition. The quantification and formula may be coincidence and outside sources might cause the coincidence. At times, a third party is hidden and may be the ultimate source of the cause.

The fallacy of secundum quid or arguing from a general condition to a specific outcome or again it is also known as the fallacy of accidental relationships. It is also know as the argument of hasty generalizations where a specific condition is apparent.

Argumentum consensus gentium or the argument of all nations or sources for a point of agreement. This argument is typically utilized by the scientific community when they are presenting a theory about some topic. It is usually an assumption rather than a proven fact though many scientists support the concept. Everyone believes this statement therefore it must be true. Its best utilization is as a point of departure for a later proven fact.

Argumentum ad hominem or refutation of the man and what he/she stands for as a character issue in the arena of ideas. This fallacy is usually used to defuse the character of an opponent and position them as less desirable than the attacker. This method is used to poison the well of an opponent with information that is usually fallacious. If he has been wrong in the past, he is sure to be wrong now. Positioning of dirty laundry in the arena of ideas. When attacked by the ad hominem methodology, many come back with the old What about your stance or tu quoquo.

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